


Secrets Revealed

by Windfighter



Series: Iron Man-bingo card 17 [3]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: 5+1 Things, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Coming Out, Gen, Homophobia, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Trans Character, Trans Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 08:36:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19902868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windfighter/pseuds/Windfighter
Summary: Tony is perhaps not the first you'd trust with your innermost secrets, but five times people did it anyway. And one time Tony tried to trust someone with his.





	Secrets Revealed

**Author's Note:**

> For the Ironman-bingo and the square "coming out"
> 
> Honestly I have no idea how coming out is supposed to work because I personally just randomly throw it out every now and then if the conversation is appropriate so uh... yeah sorry if it's not how it's supposed to work.

Trustworthy wasn't usually a word used to describe Tony Stark. During bad days it made him sad, all other days it was understandable. Because who in their right mind would trust Mr ”I am Iron Man” to keep a secret? Even before the Iron Man spectacle Tony had a habit of speaking first and thinking later, a result of his brain working too fast for him to keep up. That's why it always surprised him whenever someone would entrust him with a secret.

#1

MIT. Tony and Rhodey where leaning over their books to study. Rhodey closed his books and let out a frustrated groan.

”Sometimes I miss high school. Stuff were simpler back then.”

”I'm just happy the teachers are finally at my level.”

Rhodey threw a pillow at Tony and laughed.

”You are so stupidly confident. How do you not have more friends?”

Tony grimaced.

”How about you? How are you not Mr. Popular?”

”I'm friends with _you_.”

Rhodey opened his book again, but mostly ignored it.

”And it's just... when people get close they always try to fix me.”

”Fix?”

”Never mind”, Rhodey tried to laugh.

”No, I want to know so I can kick their asses if it ever happens again.”

Rhodey actually snorted at that.

”Sure shortie, good luck with that.”

”I'm not that short! Wait, don't change the subject!”

”It's just that when people realize I'm not interested in hooking up or getting into relationships...”

Tony kept his face neutral, tried to not let his surprise at Rhodey actually sticking to the subject show.

”You're ace”, he said.

”How do you even know that word?”

”I know everything”, Tony shrugged. ”You're ace and people are stupidheads about it because they don't understand?”

”But you do?”

Tony shrugged again.

”Not completely, but enough to know there's nothing to fix.

He closed his book, grabbed the next one and shot Rhodey a smiled.

”Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.”

”I'll be haunting your ass otherwise.”

”It's a fine ass to haunt.”

#2

Tony handed Steve a drink and sat down in the armchair next to him. Steve starerd at the alcohol.

”You know I can't get drunk, right?”

”Did the serum also kill your tastebuds?”

”Touché.”

They raised their glasses, clinked them together and sipped their drinks. Tony glanced at Steve, at this person who had just recently woken up to a new world and was obviously still grieving the loss of the past.

”What do you miss the most?” Tony asked, not expecting an answer because there wasn't a reason for Steve to trust him yet, especially not if he had heard what S.H.I.E.L.D or the media had to say about him. Steve smiled sadly towards the glass.

”Bucky”, he didn't even hesitate. ”Bucky was great, he was always there for me, from the moment we met. Bucky was...” Steve took a shaky breath. ”Whenever I was with him I was home. I... I miss him so much.”

Steve's eyes glittered and Tony patted his shoulder.

”I'm sorry.”

”It's not your fault, I just... I loved him and I never got to tell him. Not like I loved Peggy, but...”

Tony tensed his muscles to avoid squirming in the seat.

”How did you love Peggy?”

”She was so pretty and strong and her lips were so full and I couldn't stop wondering how it would feel to kiss them and...”

Tony coughed, choked on his drink. Steve hit him in the back to help but Tony waved him off.

”Sorry, it's just... Hearing someone talk like that about aunt Peggy is weird.”

”Oh”, Steve blushed. ”I'm sorry, I didn't know.”

”I was the one who asked”, Tony sipped on his drink. ”Anyway so you're bi?”

”...what?”

”Bisexual. Attracted to more than one gender. It's okay now, in case no one told you.”

”I'm... not?”

”You wouldn't want to tap this?” Tony gestured at himself and Steve's blush got bright again.

”No! I loved Bucky and all but I never wanted to  _do_ him!”

”Biromantic then”, Tony shrugged. ”It's okay, I won't tell anyone.”

”I don't even know what that means.”

”The internet is there, look it up.”

Tony put his empty glass on the table, got up from the couch and patted Steve's shoulder before leaving. As he was headed down for breakfast the next day Steve caught him, tablet clutched to his chest.

”So I guess I am”, Steve said.

”What?” Tony wasn't awake enough to deal with confused avengers.

”Biromantic. You were right. Don't tell anyone.”

”Your secret is safe with me.”

”I'll go Captain America on your ass otherwise.”

#3

Bucky was sitting on a desk in Tony's workshop while Tony was working on his arm. Sam was on the other side of the door making funny faces at Bucky and Bucky flipped him off, yelled at him in Russian. Sam made another funny face before laughing and leaving so Bucky would stop moving as Tony tried to work. Bucky let out a sigh as he watched Sam leave.

”Fuck, I am so gay.”

”Everyone's a little gay nowadays.”

Bucky froze.

”Shit, did I say that out loud?”

”You did”, Tony laughed. ”Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.”

”It better be or I'll set the Winter Soldier on your ass.

”At least one of you want to tap it”, Tony laughed.

#4

There was a woman sitting in the bar. She had raven black hair, piercing green eyes and was dressed in a black, green and gold armor, a green cape draped over her shoulders.

”Anthony”, she smiled. ”I came for that drink you offered.”

”Loki”, Tony nodded to her as he realized who she was. ”Now that I'm not here to threaten you I can say you look good.”

”You are not surprised?”

”I stopped being surprised a long time ago.”

Tony poured two drinks and handed her one. They sat down in the couch together and sipped on them.

”So you're genderfluid.”

”Is that what you Midgardians call it?”

”Must be nice to be able to change like that.”

”Magic is useful in some cases”, her hands glowed green. ”Do you wish to try?”

”Nah. Screw gender, but I'm happy as I am.”

They kept drinking, Tony refilled their glasses and Loki looked through the window, her eyes far away.

”Brother believes it's just another tool I use to further my agenda. At times it saddens me.”

”Should I talk to him?”

”It is way past the time for talking, but I must thank you for your offer. Most would not.”

”No worries then, Reindeer games. Your secret is safe with me.”

Loki smirked.

”I certainly hope so. If not there would be some light stabbing of your arse in the future and it would be a shame for that to happen.”

#5

Tony was watching Peter as he worked. The kid's movements were stiff and unusually awkward. He left his own workplace and went over to Peter's.

”Hey kid, something on your mind?”

”Ah!” Peter startled, dropped the tool he had been working with. ”M... Mr Stark! Hey! It's nothing, I just...”

”I'm here if you ever need to talk.”

”I'm uh”, Peter squirmed in the seat. ”I'm trans. Thought you deserved to know.”

Peter grabbed the tool and returned to working on his webshooters. Tony sat down on the desk.

”Hey, Pete, look at me.”

”Please don't hate me?”

”Why would I hate you? You're still Pete, right? Please don't tell me you've had me misgendering you this whole time.”

”Still... still Peter.”

”Okay, good. Next order of business: No one  _deserves_ to know your secrets. Okay? You decide when and if to entrust them to people. No matter what they do for you there is never, at no point, a time when they  _get_ to know your secrets if you're not ready for it.”

”Okay. I'm sorry, Mr Stark, I do trust you.”

”Makes me happy to hear. And thanks for telling me, I can make the suits safer for you now.”

Tony went back to his own workbench, pulled up the schematics for the next spidersuit. He glanced at Peter.

”Who else knows?”

”Uhm... Aunt May, Ned and MJ. And Flash.”

”The kid who bullies you?”

”He knew me before”, Peter shrugged. ”He's actually nice about it? For a bully I mean.”

”Okay, I get it”, Tony laughed. ”Don't worry kid, your secret is safe with me.”

”I... I know”, Peter smiled, then turned his chair around to look at Tony. ”Mr Stark, do  _you_ have any secrets?”

Tony took a shaky breath, then smiled towards the kid.

”Nope, I'm an open book.”

Peter laughed and they both went back to work.

#+1

Tony knew the importance of secrets, because he had let his own spill once when he was younger. He had gotten home from a day at the library, jittery in a way he had never been before. He went to the workshop, full of enegy that he needed to divert into something, preferable another invention. Howard was there, nodded at him. Tony tried to contain his happiness, so he'd be less obnoxious for Howard. Of course Howard missed nothing.

”What has you so happy, boy?”

”I met this guy at the library”, Tony couldn't stop himself. ”He was really cute and almost as smart as I am so we could actually hold a conversation, it was amazing! I'm... I'm meeting him again next week.”

Tony smiled, blushed and focused on the items spread out on his desk. Howard was next to him, his open hand collided with Tony's cheek and Tony stumbled. It stung and Tony's eyes widened.

”D-dad?”

”No son of mine is allowed to be a fag.”

Tony hadn't planned to ever come out to Howard, to let his secret spill, but he would not accept being called a fag when he wasn't one.

”I'm not! I'm not gay! I'm bi, it's not the same thing!”

Howard slapped Tony again. Tony stumbled and fell to the floor.

”You will not let anyone else know, ever. Is that understood?”

Tony didn't answer and Howard kicked him in the side.

”Is that understood?”

”Y... yes sir.”

”And you will not meet this boy again either.”

Tony didn't answer this time either and Howard stomped on his chest.

” _Is that understood?”_

”Yes... sir...”

”Good.”

Howard grabbed Tony's collar, dragged him out of the workshop and left him on the floor. As he returned and locked the doors to keep Tony out, Tony decided to never spill a secret again.

**Author's Note:**

> Of course Peter is the only one who doesn't threaten Tony and I loved writing everyone obsessed with kicking his ass because of course they are obsessed with it. And of course Peter is the only one who cares enough to ask about _Tony_ because he's precious like that.
> 
> Anyway hope you enjoyed this disaster! <3000
> 
> (as for who the person Tony fell in love with... I'll leave that to you. For some reason in my mind it was Hammer because the hilarity but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯)


End file.
